Forever Checkmate
by BlueAlexander93
Summary: After a heartbreaking loss to Alder, the League Champion, Cheren takes some time away from battling, feeling burned out. But wait - will his flame be ignited again, in the form of a close friend? CheckmateShipping (currently on hiatus)
1. Prologue

**Note: Hilbert and Hilda (Black and White) will be referred to by their Japanese names, Touya and Touko.**

So close, yet so far away. It's a timeless cliché, but a true one, in the case of Cheren. He came within inches of becoming the Unova League Champion, but it wasn't enough. Alder was just the more powerful trainer, and the man worthy of being called the Champion of the region.

He had spent weeks upon weeks training for his battle with Alder – it came down to their last Pokemon, and unfortunately, the teenage trainer from Nuvema Town came up just a little short. Regardless, this left him, for lack of a better term, heartbroken. To use an analogy, it was like Cheren was in an ongoing game of chess, and no matter what, he was in a perpetual state of checkmate.

Cheren became somewhat of a recluse in the days after the battle – all that hard work, and he didn't win. He didn't really talk to anyone, not to Bianca, Touya, Touko, or even Professor Juniper. It wasn't until two weeks after the battle that he was able, once again, to socialize. He had spent a few days in Castelia City with Touya, and a few days in Opelucid City with Bianca, but he wasn't that content with that time spent. He was burned out, and had lost his passion and interest. Something needed to re-spark the flame in his soul, but in a twist of fate, that something turned out to be someone.

It had been a few months since Cheren's loss to Alder, and the group of four had gone their separate ways once again, roaming across Unova, still looking to carry out Professor Juniper's task to complete their Pokedexes; it wasn't easy, but the group knew that it had to be done. They had all stayed in touch with their Xtranceivers, but the four of them really had no chance to contact one another, face-to-face.

During their time apart, Touya had climbed his way up the ranks of the Unova League, and was preparing to take on the Elite Four, for he, too, wanted another shot at Alder's title. Bianca had decided, inevitably, that being a trainer wasn't for her, so she decided to become a Coordinator, in which she had decided to travel to Hoenn and Sinnoh to further her craft. Touko had been taking her time training her Pokemon, since she had a bit of a late start compared to the other three, but she still managed to win the first three badges of Unova in an impressive fashion, in less than ten days.

As for Cheren, he hadn't done too much activity – he trained his Pokemon every now and then, but mostly, he just explored the region, staying in the cities and towns, just for the sake of traveling.

This is where our story begins… stay tuned for the first episode.


	2. Act 1, Episode 1

**A/N: Consider this a novelization of the back-and-forth Twitter role-play between me (CherenBW) and my dear friend Kayla (ToukoBW), with a few minor edits, mainly for clarification purposes.**

**Act 1: Reunions and Rollercoasters**

**Episode 1: A Renewed Confidence**

Arriving in Striaton City after an early morning bike ride, Cheren stopped at a small café, ordering a small breakfast of a blueberry muffin and his new favorite drink, a chai latte, an Eastern tea blended with a small portion of milk and a shot of espresso. By the time he sat down, he took off his glasses and wiped them clean. "I should really switch to contacts," he said to himself. "Wearing glasses while riding a mountain bike just doesn't work out well."

As soon as he went to take a sip of his beverage, a very familiar voice came about.

"Hey, Cheren!" the voice said. It was the voice of a young woman, a very familiar young woman. Cheren quickly put his glasses back on, turning toward the voice. "Is that…?" he spoke to himself, as the young woman quickly walked up to him.

"Sure is!" the woman said. "It's good to see you again!" Cheren gave a small smile; "Nice seeing a friendly face around here," he replied. "Good seeing you again, Touko."

"How are your Pokemon doing, Cheren? Last time I checked, your Emboar was absolutely amazing!"

"They're all doing fine. What brings you here to Striaton?"

"I'm doing a bit of training, getting ready for the Ninbasa Gym. How... have you been, since your battle with Alder?"

"You know how I feel already. I'm going to keep climbing my way up, and I will become the Unova League Champion. Nothing and no one will stand in my way."

Touko grinned sweetly at that statement. "Not even me?" she retorted. "That's my goal, too, y'know."

Cheren wasn't joking around, he was all serious. "I meant no one, present company included."

She raised an eyebrow, in curiosity of his emotions. "Well, alright then, Cheren. I already knew that, though; we'll just have to see who the stronger trainer is, right?"

"You are correct, Touko." He took off his glasses and cleaned them, a compulsive habit of his. Touko decided to take a seat, across from him, relaxing as she let out a yawn.

"Hey, Cheren? I have an idea…"

"Yes, Touko?"

"I was thinking, maybe you and I could travel together for a while…"

Cheren took a moment to think over the proposition. Coming to a decision, he simply said,

"Yes. Let's."

Touko gave a small smile, as she let out her Pokemon, her Dewott, Mincinno, and Deerling out of their Poke Balls, letting them stretch their waking bodies. She snuck a few glances at Cheren, noticing a look of discontent across his face.

"Cheren… it's been over 3 months. You shouldn't be so down about that whole thing."

Sipping his tea, he softly spoke: "I trained for so long, did all that preparation… only to have it backfire on me in the last moment."

"Don't be so down, Cheren. I have faith that you'll become the Champion, I just know it'll happen."

"Yeah, well, faith doesn't get the job done, Touko."

"Still, I know you can do it. I've known you since we were just little kids. You're more than strong enough for this, Cheren."

A tad annoyed, he let out an exasperated sigh. "Everyone keeps telling me that…"

"You have to have the heart, too, if you're going to succeed."

At this point, he didn't say a word, and just looked up at the sky. Touko had brought her Dewott up, sitting him in her lap. "Geez, Cheren, be a little more self-confident, would ya?"

"I fought to win, and I failed. Second-best is no option for me. Touko, nobody remembers second-best."

"Second-best usually becomes first after a while, you know…"

At this point, she recalled her Pokemon and stood up, stretching her arms out. "Anyways, it's a pretty nice day, today…"

"Yeah, I suppose…" Cheren finished his breakfast and stood up, grabbing his bag.

In a huff, she turned to him; "You are SO frustrating, you know that?" she stated.

That actually managed to bring out a small chuckle from him. "Why, is little Touko getting annoyed?" She mimicked him in a bratty tone, sticking her tongue out. It had become just like when they were kids again, like old times.

"That's a yes," he said to himself, with a smirk.

"You are infuriating, Cheren."

"Then I've done my job." He gave a confident grin, as Touko looked on at the nearby routes. They would head to Nimbasa City shortly, expecting to arrive before nightfall. Cheren was more than happy to be Touko's traveling companion, and also as a practice partner for battles. She was looking for her fourth badge, and nothing was going to stop her momentum.


	3. Act 1, Episode 2

**Episode 2: Distractions and Merriment, Part 1**

Touko and Cheren had spent most of the late morning walking through the routes and cities, heading toward Nimbasa City; her momentum was at its maximum, although when they arrived at Castelia City, it came close to a screeching halt. Both of them had grown up in a small town, away from the suburban metropolis-like towns of Unova, so the hustle-and-bustle of the busy cities came as a small annoyance to them. Especially the noise. Oh, the noise…

Find refuge in the town square, they stopped for a bit of rest; the hardest trek was yet to come: Route 4's desert. So they decided that it was best to stop here, and not end up resting in the burning hot sandstorms. Touko had let her Mincinno out, letting her walk with them and stretch herself out, when she picked up an alluring scent... it was the scent of trail mix, in Cheren's bag.

He took out the bag, giving a handful of the snack to the Mincinno. "Good nose," he said to himself.

"Oh, you don't have to –" Touko attempted to retort, but stopped short. "Brat…" she said quietly. "Sorry, Cheren – she loves snacks more than anything…"

"It's no trouble," Cheren replied, having some for him. "So, are you all set to face Elesa?"

"Mm-hmm, I am – I'm thinking of facing the Battle Subway, first, though, just to grow a little stronger."

"I'll be the first to tell you, she is no pushover. You have to start strong and finish stronger."

"Don't worry about me, Cheren, I got this." She gave him a reassuring smile of confidence. "What are your plans, by the way?"

"I'll be heading back home, Professor Juniper needs me to carry out a few errands for her in a few days."

"So I guess… we'll be parting ways in Nimbasa City, then, in a few days…"

"Guess so, Touko…"

Deciding it was time to keep on walking, they left the big city and walked through Route 4, trying their hardest to avoid any sand raging in their eyes. It didn't help that Touko didn't have any eye wear, and that Cheren had to keep cleaning his glasses from all the sand and gunk. But it was soon worth it, as they arrived in Nimbasa City, just before dusk.

Touko and Cheren walked into the Pokemon Center, both them and their Pokemon ready for a long rest, after walking all day. As they rested on their beds, he looked out the window, seeing the moon shine brightly, illuminating the bustling city.

"Pretty nice night outside, tonight…"

"Yeah, it is… hey, Cheren?"

"Yeah, Touko?"

"Thanks for coming along with me to Nimbasa. I appreciate it."

He gave her a soft, yet warm, smile. "No problem, Touko."

She smiled back, lying down and looking up at the ceiling.

"We have an early start, tomorrow… better get some rest."

"Mm-hmm…" with that, Cheren shut off the light and took off his glasses, climbing under the covers. "Night, Touko."

"Goodnight, Cheren…"

* * *

The next morning started off a bit rocky for Cheren. You'll see why.

"Yo, Cheren! Wake up!" Touko nudged him slightly, analyzing his sleeping features. He just turned on his side, still asleep.

She gave a sigh; "He looks so peaceful… too bad." Going up to his ear, she yelled, "Get up, Cheren!"

He jolted awake, falling onto the floor. "Ow… Touko, what the hell?"

She scratched the back of her head, nervously; "You, uh… wouldn't wake up." He just grumbled and sat up, dusting himself off.

"Anyways… morning, sleepyhead!" She gave a peppy smile, as he sat up on the bed, putting on his glasses.

"Yeah, yeah, morning…" he responded.

She snorted quietly. "Looks like someone isn't a morning person, huh, Cheren?"

He gave a small smirk at her annoyance. "Touko, we've all known each other for, what, about 12 years? And now, you're figuring that out?" he let out a yawn as he stretched his arms out. "Damn, I need my coffee…"

"We'll go out and get some breakfast, then."

"Alright, that sounds pretty good. You all set for the Battle Subway?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about that, Cheren… maybe we could visit the amusement park, first? I mean, I've always wanted to go…"

"Well, I don't see why not…"

She let out a "squee;" "!"

He chuckled at her reaction; "Okay, Touko, calm down – it's not Christmas morning, after all…"

She blushed in a bit of embarrassment. "Ehehe… sorry about that."

* * *

After getting all washed up, dressed in clean clothes, and retrieving their Pokémon from Nurse Joy, they walked around the town, finding a small coffee shop, ordering themselves a nice breakfast. For Touko, a cheese Danish and hot chocolate was her order; for Cheren, he ordered himself a Caffè macchiato and an egg-white omelet.

"How can you drink that stuff, Cheren?"

"It helped me maintain my focus while I was training for my match with Alder. Since then, I've grown accustomed to these drinks."

"Well, I'll stick with my hot chocolate, thank you very much." She went in to take a first sip; instead, though…

"OW! That's hot!"

"Uh… yeah, it is, Touko. Silly girl…" He tried his best to stifle his laughter.

"Don't be mean, Cheren…" she pouted.

"I'm sorry, but come on, that's kinda funny…" he said with a chuckle, taking a bite of his omelet.

"Whatever…" she set her drink down, letting it cool off, and took a bite of her pastry.

After their breakfast, they decided to head out to the amusement park, looking to beat any growing crowds. Lucky for them, today was a slow day for the park.

"Not that many people, today…" Cheren stated.

"Yeah… it's kinda nice, huh?" Touko replied.

"Hey, as long as there isn't a sea of people, I'm happy." They both looked around at the various attractions, deciding to head to the trademark Ferris wheel, first.

"It's kinda weird that they make you pair up with someone for this, huh, Cheren?"

"I suppose… it's mainly for all the lovey-dovey couples that come here, though."

"Yeah… hey, do you… you know, still think about…"

"Bianca? Sometimes, yeah… we work out better as just friends, though. We were just 13, we were thinking in the moment…"

"Yeah, I know the feeling of that…"

He turned to glance at Touko, but he shook his head, making any thoughts leave his consciousness.

"Come on; let's get on this thing…"

As midday approached, so did the crowds; they definitely arrived at the right time. They made their way onto the ride, sitting across from each other, looking out at the city.

"It's pretty nice out there…" she spoke, softly, as she leaned back and shut her eyes.

"Yeah…" he glanced at her resting body, thinking to himself. _'She really has grown over the past few years… she's not the little girl from next door, anymore…' _

Something was building deep in Cheren's soul. But what was it, exactly? Stay tuned for the next episode…


End file.
